Tuition Reimbursement Helps RN Advance Her Career

Emily Vance started her nursing career at UH Parma Medical Center five years ago and is already working toward her master's degree, thanks to UH's generous tuition reimbursement.

Emily Vance started working toward her master’s degree in nursing in February, just two months after finishing her BSN. This steady climb up the career ladder for this UH Parma Medical Center RN is fueled by University Hospital’s generous tuition reimbursement – and a love for a profession where every interaction counts.

Just five years ago, Vance was a patient care assistant on a critical care stepdown unit at UH Parma Medical Center. Inspired by her stint as a teenage caregiver for her grandmother in Florida, she decided she had the heart – and the stomach – for hands-on patient care. She received her associate’s degree in nursing from Cuyahoga Community College before Parma Hospital became part of the UH system. Now a full-time nurse in UH Parma’s Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, she wants to keep on moving up, spurred by the additional financial incentives offered by UH.

It’s an exciting time to be a nurse in the CVICU and ICU, where 18 nurses over the past two years since integration have gone back to school for a BSN or MSN degree.

“I’m amazed by my team, I truly am,” said Michelle Adams, MSN RN, who manages both units and has experience herself as a clinical preceptor. “Many of them started going back to school because of UH. But I truly believe that advancing their education gives them a better understanding of the theory and evidence-based practices of the profession.

“You remember the reasons you went into nursing – the caring, the compassion. You have time to think critically, beyond learning just the skills of nursing.”

The emphasis on education also results in a more engaged staff, with many nurses volunteering for quality, compliance and governance committees. Vance, who lives nearby in Parma, feels truly connected to her community hospital.

“I bought a house right down the street with my husband,” said Vance, 26. “Eventually, I want to become a nurse practitioner. But right now, I enjoy being on the floor. This is a great place to work.”

Learn more about nursing careers at UH's westside locations at the March 11 Recruitment Fair on Friday, March 11, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Cleveland Airport, 4900 Emerald Court SW, Cleveland.

CJ Sheppard

Senior Communications Strategist, University Hospitals Parma Medical Center

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Volume 8, Issue 3, Posted 9:55 PM, 03.08.2016